Passing On
by SoaringEagle11
Summary: Shelby thinks her mentor is still angry at her for becoming the Pink Ranger, but when Kendall is killed by a fire that blazes through the museum, feelings for the scientist overwhelm her and she vows to get revenge.


"Order up!" Riley called from the Dino Bite Cafe, tearing a piece of paper from his notepad and tossing it to Chase, who caught it in his left hand.

"Two Dino burgers and two milkshakes," he read. "Shelby, can you get started on this? I have to go find Miss Morgan and ask her something."

"Gladly." Shelby took the order from him and began turning on the grill.

"Excuse me, everyone." The Rangers in the kitchen all looked up as Prince Phillip waltzed in, smiling from ear to ear. As they gathered around him, he continued to speak. "I have amazing news. Starting tomorrow, Kendall has allowed me to take you all on a trip to New Zealand."

"Really?" Chase bolted back toward them. "That's so cool! But who will take care of the Dino Bite Cafe while we're gone?"

"It will be closed," Kendall responded as she pushed Prince Phillip aside and went over to the grill. "Shelby, this isn't the temperature for the burgers that they need. Ivan, please take over."

A tear slipped from Shelby's eye.

"Quit being so sensitive." Kendall struck her hand across the other girl's face, which she noticed seemed a little harder than she'd originally thought.

"Miss Morgan!" she snapped, moving her right hand to her face. "You've yelled at me for that many times, but you've never... never done anything like that!"

A few tears slid down Kendall's face, but she blinked them away.

"What is wrong with Kendall?" Koda asked, stepping in front of her. "Why you mean to Shelby?"

"I- I-" She zipped out of the room, sobbing. The rest of the kitchen's occupants stared after her in surprise as Tyler went over to Shelby and gently wrapped his arms around her.

"What was that all about?" Riley wondered.

"I have no idea," Ivan shrugged.

James rolled his eyes. "That is so unlike her. But now that that fiasco's over, let's get back to work."

Shelby shook her head. "I'm going to the restroom." Tyler tailed her until she exited the cafe kitchen.

Riley, Koda, James, Chase, and later Tyler resumed work like nothing had happened. But when Shelby came back, she went right past the kitchen and into the cafe, sitting down at a lone table in the corner without a word.

"I think she thinks Miss Morgan is still angry at her for becoming the Pink Ranger," Riley sighed.

"I don't know." Chase tilted his head to the side as he reset the grill setting and flipped two burger patties onto it. "I thought those feelings passed a long time ago, but if you've seen how cold she's been to her lately, I'd say that may be true."

"You should go talk to her," Tyler told him. "I know you two aren't that close, but I can take over the order."

"Fine."

Chase started to exit the cafe, but Shelby quickly got up from her table and stopped him. "Let me handle her."

The dangerous tone of her voice was unnerving to him. "You're... not going to hurt her, are you?"

"I have no idea. She's been pushing me around for too long."

"Shelby, she didn't mean to do what she did. Miss Morgan is probably having a bad day already."

"I don't care." The Pink Ranger stormed out of the cafe. Chase stared after her with a look of concern, his panic growing.

All of a sudden, a loud yell rang through the air, followed by the ear-splitting sound of the fire alarm.

"What is going on?" Tyler shouted as he turned off the grill and ran over to Chase.

"There's a fire in the museum!" someone shrieked from outside.

"Shelby, get back here!" Chase screeched. No answer came back to him. Smoke was pouring into the cafe and everyone who occupied it were screaming as they pushed back toward through the cafe exit. The museum doors weren't too far away from there, so once the Rangers were able to get everyone out quickly. Well, almost everyone.

"Do you think Miss Morgan and Shelby got out?" Tyler asked the others as they all charged out of the cafe and dashed through the exit doors of the museum.

Just then, his Dino-Com vibrated and as he pulled it out, Shelby's face gazed up at him, eyes glazed with fear.

"Guys, we're trapped!" she cried. Orange flames blazed around them. "I was able to get Miss Morgan out of the restroom before the door started to burn, but she's already breathed in a lot of smoke. We're near the T-Rex exhibit, but it collapsed on us, as did the others. The walls are burning... I almost have a clear way out now, but I can't leave her... please help us!" She coughed.

"We're coming!" James started to fly back toward the museum, but in an instant, the doors began to burn, collapsing in front of him as he skidded to a stop.

The crowd in front of the museum, including the other Rangers, reeled back in shock.

"Th- they're trapped," Chase gasped.

 **(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((**

"Come on, Miss Morgan! Help me!" Shelby roared, pushing upward with both hands again as she attempted to push part of the dinosaur skeleton off of her and Kendall. The scientist was crouching next to her, coughing uncontrollably.

"I'll...try..." she managed to say, getting to her feet. Though she was unable to stand up, she was barely able to help get the dinosaur part off. There was a way out now, but only one person could take it before there was no way out for good.

"Get... out..." she sighed.

"No! I'm not leaving you! I don't care about what you did to me earlier; you need help!"

"I'm not going to make it," she mumbled. "And you certainly aren't if I leave you here. Go!" She thrust Shelby toward the opening.

"No!"

"Go or before I get out, I'll kill you myself!"

"Okay, okay!" Shelby slid herself through the opening, clearly aware of Kendall's worried gaze at her back. However, as soon as she clambered out of the hole, the walls began to shake even more violently as a blazing part of the roof crumbled and fell, crushing the opening she had just used and smashing the dinosaur bones to pieces. A piercing scream rang through the air.

"MISS MORGAN!" she shrieked. Then she realized that if Kendall was trapped again, she herself might not be far behind. As the fire began to eat away at the walls again, Shelby clapped a hand over her nose and mouth and darted straight out of the museum as she rushed through an emergency exit that brought her out to the front of the museum.

"Oh God, Shelby!" The Pink Ranger barely took a breath before she was pulled into an embrace in Tyler's strong arms. She struggled out of them, taking in deep gulps if fresh air.

"Guys... she's still in there!"

"Miss Morgan?"

"Yes! She told me to get out and just as I did, the wall collapsed on her!"

Tyler encircled her with an arm again. "We're waiting for the firefighters to come help. I promise, once the fire is out, we'll find her."

"Stand back, make way!" everyone shouted at once as the fire truck sped through. Shelby tearfully moved with her friends, crying softly. The fire was soon put out and she attempted to run forward. One of the firefighters put out an arm to block her. "You can't go there. I'm pretty sure everyone got out."

"Not true!" she spat. "Get out of the way!" The menacing look she gave him startled him so much that he moved to the side. Shelby rushed toward the wreckage of what remained of the museum. Tears were flowing from her eyes as she saw the place she had spent some of the best years of her life- but demolished. Fury rose up inside her as she went over to where she believed she had escaped from before. Who had set the fire and why? But all other thoughts were erased from her mind when she heard a voice. It was the most inaudible of any voice she had ever heard, but it was still very recognizable.

"Shelby, is that you?"

"Miss Morgan?" Shelby spun around like a predator who had just spotted some prey, trying to find the source. "Where are you?"

"O- over here..."

The caramel-skinned girl listened closely and her instincts soon led her over to the crushed pile of dinosaur bones. Beyond it, with crumbs and dust covering her, lay the broken body of Kendall Morgan.

"K- Kendall? Oh no!" Bits of bones were embedded in her skin, blood oozing out of the cuts. Scarlet dripped from her forehead and part of the skin on her neck was burned away, nearly exposing her collarbone. Her glasses had been smashed, laying on the ground beside her.

"I told you that you should have gone first!" Shelby protested, falling to her knees and pressing her hands onto the major wound. Kendall hissed in pain, rolling away from her, and the other girl gasped. Blood was smeared on her back and like the gash on her throat, skin had been scorched away.

"I couldn't. I- I had to show you that I was sorry for striking you before. I was having a bad day, but that was no excuse for what I did." She re-positioned herself onto her back, which made her whimper as agony shot through her.

"You're killing yourself though!" Shelby sniffed, trying and failing to choke back tears. "Wh- why did you do that for me?"

"Because..." Kendall took in a shaky, labored breath. "Because... you're more than just a friend to me. I've been really awful to you since the beginning and always felt terrible for it. And what I did to you today was completely uncalled for."

"Kendall, you can't leave!" She whipped out her phone. "I'll call an ambulance."

"Shelby, it's too late." Pain filled her eyes as she reached up and grasped Shelby's hand. Shelby gently jerked it away and used both of them to pull Kendall into her arms, letting her head rest against her chest, and not caring that the dying girl's blood was streaming down her shirt.

"Shelby..." With a pale, shaking hand, Kendall reached into her back pocket and yanked something out, holding it up for Shelby to see. It was a small, pink charm bracelet, with a charm shaped like a triceratops and one like a plesiosaurus, with Shelby's name printed across six of the pink and purple beads. It had apparently been untouched by the fire.

"I made this for you," she whispered nervously, "on the day I meant to apologize, which was yesterday. However, we got so caught up in work that I forgot about it. After that, I meant to apologize and give it to you today, but then the fire happened and I knew that saving you would probably mean more than any other gift."

"Kendall, that's so sweet, but-"

"No buts, Shelby." She slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. "I'm sorry. This was because of the way I've treated you thus far. I love you, Shelby, but I deserve this."

Her eyes closed and Shelby's breath caught it her throat as she felt the heartbeat beating alongside hers stutter and then stop completely.

"No, no, NO!" she screamed. "Kendall, come back!" Despite everything she said, she knew Kendall couldn't hear her.

"What's going on?" She felt the warm hands of Tyler and Chase grip her shoulders and swiveled her head to look at them, who had also been joined by the other Rangers.

"Kendall's dead."

"What?" Chase exclaimed in disbelief.

"You heard me. She's gone. See for yourself." She handed Kendall off to him, letting herself cry freely.

"Miss Morgan, please tell us this is all a trick," Tyler murmured.

"What is trick?" Koda questioned. He had just come up beside the others, finally catching a glimpse of the lifeless body laying in the Black Ranger's arms. "What happen to Kendall?"

Shelby laid a hand on his shoulder. "Kendall is gone, Koda."

"What you mean gone?"

"Koda, she's dead. She helped me escape from the fire, but wasn't able to get out as well. I- I'm sorry."

Surprisingly, Koda shook her off and turned on her, eyes narrowing. "You mean _you_ kill Kendall?"

"What? No!" Shelby shrank back in horror. "She threatened to kill me herself first if she had gone before me. She forced me to go."

"Koda, it's not her fault," Ivan added. "She wanted to save Miss Morgan, but Miss Morgan decided that she would sacrifice herself for her instead."

Shelby stepped away, rubbing the bracelet on her wrist, the last reminder of Kendall she'd ever have. The triceratops and plesiosaurus charms on it seemed to glitter beautifully, despite the dark clouds floating toward them in the sky. Rain pelted down, washing away the blood on her hands. As Chase laid Kendall's body back on the ground, she walked over to her, standing grimly next to her. Her face tilted toward the sky, the rain enhancing the tears blurring her vision.

 _Whoever set that fire is going to pay for their crime,_ she vowed silently. Glancing down at her lifeless form, she said the rest out loud. "I will avenge you, Kendall. Your death will never go unpunished." The other Rangers looked on helplessly as she kept mourning, a barrage of tears continuing to surge from her eyes.


End file.
